Definition of Done: A Guide for Agile Teams

Overview The article explores the Definition of Done (DoD) as a shared agreement among team members that specifies when a piece of work is considered complete. It discusses the importance of a clear DoD for ensuring quality, reducing rework, and aligning expectations across development and stakeholders.

Key Takeaways

• A well-crafted DoD improves product quality and predictability.
• Involve the whole team when creating or updating the DoD.
• Keep the DoD simple, testable, and regularly revisited.
• Align the DoD with regulatory, security, and performance requirements.
• Use the DoD as a checklist during sprint reviews to avoid incomplete increments.

Who Would Benefit

• Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches guiding teams.
• Engineering Managers looking to raise delivery standards.
• Developers and QA engineers needing clear completion criteria.
• Product Owners ensuring stakeholder expectations are met.

Frameworks and Methodologies

• Scrum
• Kanban
• SAFe